| Thursday, February 16–Four British actors who star in the new film, The Road to Guantanamo, are detained under the UK’s new Terrorism Act upon their return from the Berlin Film Festival, where the picture won a Silver Bear award. The film depicts the real-life events of the "Tipton three," a group of British Muslim men who were detained at Guantanamo Bay without charge after travelling to Afghanistan for a wedding.
Actor Rizwan Ahmed told The Guardian one officer "asked me whether I intended to do more documentary films, specifically more political ones like The Road to Guantánamo. She asked 'Did you become an actor mainly to do films like this, to publicize the struggles of Muslims?'"
He alleged one other officer called him a "fucker."
Many British MPs opposed provisions of the Terrorism Act that allow police to detain suspects without charge.
Friday, February 17–Alberta Environment acquits the City of Edmonton of nine environmental charges related to the spill of PCBs from light fixtures at the Commonwealth Stadium during the 2001 World Athletic Championships. The charges included one count of releasing a substance that may cause a significant adverse effect, and eight counts of failing to report the release to Alberta Environment.
The leak of the PCB-laced oil allegedly occurred after the stadium lights overheated. The import and manufacture of PCBs–which cause cancer, neurological illness, and compromise immune systems, –was banned in the 1970s, but there is no legislation requiring the replacement of PCB-containing equipment. The city replaced the stadium lights shortly after the games ended.
Monday, February 20–Unnamed NORAD officials tell the Globe and Mail, that Ottawa is poised to renew the NORAD agreement with Canada, and add maritime surveillance to the treaty. The Globe speculates the occasion could be used as photo-op for President George Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The rumoured tightening of naval intelligence ties comes just as Bush is revealed to be pursuing a deal which would give a United Arab Emirates-owned company control over six major U.S. ports. Thirteen of the September 11 hijackers travelled to the United States via UAE, and two of the hijackers were UAE citizens. Bush has accused his critics of being racist.
Wednesday, February 22–Opposition politicians and journalists catch Premier Klein telling a whopper during his annual televised address. Klein claimed 50 per cent of Alberta’s electricity comes from "clean coal" plants. Clean coal plants strip CO2 from combustion emissions and pipe the gas underground. None exist in Alberta. |
